Buying a car is usually an emotional decision for most Indians, but now, when we see the digits climb rapidly at petrol pumps, the head demands a practical option for daily commute. Before you wonder why not electric, we needed a small car and the news of Maruti Suzuki squashing plans of WagonR electric confirmed there was no EV coming under 10 lakh. Another requirement was a fuss-free experience and a relatively lower cost of ownership. So we set out to buy the most obvious choice in the market. Also, as we already have a mid-size crossover for mile-munching duties, we didn’t feel the need for aspects like handling prowess and safety rating for city use (both are a must if you often plan to visit highways).
Decision time- Chalk and Cheese
Choosing WagonR CNG seemed like an easy decision at first (we even booked it) but the news of Tata launching Tiago CNG gave us sleepless nights as the waiting period of WagonR already bothered us a lot. When I compared both out of curiosity, the first thing that WagonR scored was obviously the boot space, or rather the lack of it in Tiago CNG. But, Tata was surprisingly launching Tiago with feature packed models as well. That became a major draw towards it as we won’t have to install basic stuff like a music system with speakers from the aftermarket. The second draw that Tiago had was a responsive steering which the WagonR completely lacked but since it was going to be primarily chauffeur-driven at a snail’s pace in city traffic, it wasn’t a major requirement. The final tick for WagonR was made when my parents said they preferred its easy ingress and egress more in comparison to a crouching one of Tiago. So, it’s settled then, for sedate city use, overall practicality won over design, handling and a bit of extra performance!
The Experience So far!
It’s been 3 months and the overall experience is as intended. Let’s start with the engine which is a 1L 3 cylinder unit, code-named as k10b, which produces max power and torque of 67ps and 90Nm respectively. It drops to 55.9bhp and 82Nm in CNG mode. The best part about running this engine in CNG mode is that Maruti tuned it for low rpm driving inside the city. There is almost no perceptible lag at low rpms and the motor does its duties in a very refined manner. The gearshifts are also nice and slick in a typical Japanese fashion.
The second thing which came as a surprise was the suspension. Maruti claims that the CNG model has retuned suspension for an extra 100kgs weight added by the CNG tank and it shows. It soaks up the smaller bumps much better than the previous generation with the suspension working very silently. The overall suspension is still on the softer side, coupled with the infamous tallboy stance, makes WagonR quite roly poly around corners. What comes as an utter disappointment is the vague steering wheel, which gets heavy at parking speeds and doesn’t come to the centre after a U-turn! This is the only drawback otherwise the large glass area coupled with great all-round visibility, makes it a breeze to drive in traffic conditions. The best part about this product is the practicality which it is famous for. People find it very comfortable just to slide into the seats rather than crouching in them and the overall in-cabin space management due to the short bonnet is fantastic. A big plus is obviously the boot space, which engulfs all the bags very easily after a family shopping session, which no other CNG hatchback can do.
Some Miscellaneous Findings
What comes as a major surprise to me is the stock headlight performance, which is great at night. The low beam has a good spread and the high beam can put many modern LED units to shame. The car starts automatically in petrol mode, then switches to CNG after a minute. Special mention to the design from the rear three quarters including tail-lights, which gives it an EV vibe.
Should You Buy It?
Yes and no. If this will be your ‘only’ car in which you plan on doing highway duties as well, look for safer alternatives like Tiago CNG. This is strictly a city runabout that excels in practicality and is a ‘no nonsense’ product at the end of the day!
